Manual sliding doors with a break-away function are commonly used as entrances for Intensive Care (ICU) suites in hospitals and health care facilities. Doors of this type provide unobstructed vision of the patient for the care providers as well as privacy and sound reduction for the patient. While conventional models of manual sliding doors for this purpose provide a clear view of patients and privacy they have inherent problems.
Manual sliding doors of the subject type are available in two basic arrangements: (i) trackless sliding doors and (ii) tracked sliding doors. A trackless ICU-type manual sliding door of the subject type generally includes a header member having a top side, back side and bottom side along with an access service cover. The access service cover may be configured as either a removable cover or a hinged cover that is capable of being supported in both the open and closed positions. Also present within the header member is a top track for sliding door support rollers and stop blocks to prevent the sliding panels from sliding past the allowable or necessary distance. The door unit also includes one or more sliding panels and one or more fixed panels.
The sliding door panel and fixed panel will have the ability to break away in either the event of an emergency and the need to move equipment into the ICU suite. The sliding panel(s) are often outfitted with a type of torsion bar that will support the panel in the event of break away. The conventional construction of these types of doors is extruded aluminum members for the header and door stiles.
Conventional trackless manual sliding doors will not break away in any position. Instead, the sliding panel first must be slid fully open and then a release lever operated on the fixed panel. Once the sliding panel is fully open and the lever released, both doors may be swung out together as a unit. This action requires previous or special knowledge for proper performance. In an emergency situation, an operator may forget the sequence needed. Also, an individual with no knowledge of the door could not be expected to perform such an operation. Furthermore, the presence of the release lever, commonly known as a flush bolt, presents a maintenance and service issue. If the flush bolt is not fully released when the operator attempts to break away the panels, the guide bracket for the slide bolt portion of the flush bolt can easily be broken or misaligned. It is then possible when the guide is damaged or broken, that the fixed panel cannot be readily secured back into operating position. The lack of a breakaway feature that operates at any time during operation without special knowledge presents a problem in regards to life safety and egress.
Conventional tracked units, while able to break away in any position during the sliding panel's travel, require a floor mounted track. The presence of a track on the floor presents an obstacle that needs to be overcome when moving large equipment into an ICU suite. Furthermore the conventional floor track provides a recess for the sliding panel bottom guide pin. This recess is difficult to keep clean and clear of debris. In an environment such as an ICU wing, infectious control is a major concern. The floor track could harbor dirt, bacteria, and/or pathogens making it more difficult to maintain a clean working environment. Accordingly, the sliding doors as found in the prior art present several problems.